[SENDER’S ADDRESS]
His Excellency Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
PO Box 1031
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Fax: + 251 11 552020/2030
[DATE]
Your Excellency
I am writing to express my continuing and serious concern for Birtukan Mideksa,
lawyer, former judge and Vice president of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy
(CUD); Dr Yacob Hailemariam, lawyer, former UN Special Envoy and a Prosecutor at
the international Criminal Court for Rwanda and CUD member of parliament; and
Daniel Bekele, lawyer and Policy Director of the Ethiopian office of ActionAid as well
as CUD parliamentarians Dr Hailu Araya, Hailu Shawel, Dr Berhanu Negga,
Getachew Mengiste, Professor Gizachew Shifferaw and Dr Befekadu Degefe;
Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, aged 75, founder and former Chair of the Ethiopian
Human Rights Council; Debebe Eshetu, CUD public relations officer; Muluneh Eyual,
CUD Secretary General; and Netsanet Demissie, President, Organisation for Social
Justice in Ethiopia.
I understand that all those named above were charged on 21 December 2005 by the
High Court in Addis Ababa with a range of criminal offences, most of which are
punishable by death. These charges include “outrages against the Constitution”;
obstructing the National Election Board; inciting and organizing armed uprising;
endangering the integrity of the state; and high treason. Most are also charged with
"genocide", on the basis of allegations of the beating of an ethnic Tigrayan, arson
against the property of two Tigrayans, causing fear and mental harm to members of
an ethnic group, and harming members of the ruling Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) by excluding them from social events and
funerals.
However, I am aware that all those named have been involved in non-violent
legitimate political activities, including demonstrations, to protest the contested
results of the parliamentary elections which took place on 15 May.
I understand that all the defendants are currently held in Kaliti prison in Addis Ababa,
and allowed only restricted access to their families and legal representatives.
I would draw your attention to the United Nations Body of Principles for the Protection
of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment (1988), Principles 17(1)
and 19 of which state:
Principle 17(1)
A detained person shall be entitled to have the assistance of a legal counsel.
Principle 19
A detained or imprisoned person shall have the right to be visited by and to
correspond with, in particular, members of his family and shall be given adequate
opportunity to communicate with the outside world, subject to reasonable
conditions and restrictions as specified by law or lawful regulations.
In addition, I would like to remind you again that the Ethiopia has been party to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) since 1993. Articles 19
and 22 of the ICCPR provide that:
Article 19
1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall
include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all
kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form
of art, or through any other media of his choice.
Article 22
1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others…
In view of the above, I respectfully request that you grant the detainees regular and
private access to their families and legal counsel while they remain in custody. Since
they are detained solely for the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of
expression and association, I further urge that they are released promptly and
without condition.
Yours sincerely,